Chapter 79

After Song Dingxiang finished her postpartum recovery, she had fully recovered. Due to having hired a wet nurse, her postpartum period wasn't overly indulgent, and she had only gained a bit of weight over the month.

Her skin had become supple, fair, with almond-shaped eyes and rosy cheeks, she looked even more beautiful than before.

"Now you can truly enjoy," said Li shi, as she adjusted the children's old clothes for the twins. Her tone was filled with sighs. "When your mother nursed your sister back then, it was her first child, she had ample milk, didn't suffer much. But when she had your brother, he ate voraciously, keeping your mother up all night in pain, unable to sleep. It was fortunate that your eldest aunt also had a baby at that time, helping to raise your brother."

Upon hearing this, Fang shi sighed, "Indeed, he bit me all swollen, I didn't dare put ointment on, fearing it would harm the baby. It was truly a hardship. Look at now, Dingxiang has given birth to a baby, hired a wet nurse, and the Wang family has also sent one. You don't have to suffer at all."

Song Dingxiang just smiled, gently squeezed the tender hand of the elder girl protruding from the clothes, and said, "When they were just born, their size was quite noticeable, but now they seem to have grown to an average size."

Fang shi added, "Indeed, they've grown quite a bit. Your son has a good appetite, he finishes his food and then longs for his sister's. It's only been a month, I bet in a few more months, they'll grow even more. Look at you now, the children don't need your milk, you can eat and drink well after giving birth. Our days are truly getting better and better."

Song Dingxiang nodded, then suddenly asked, "Mom, after going through so much suffering with my brother, how did you manage to have so many more children?"

Fang shi gave her a stern glance and said, "Isn't that obvious? If I didn't have children, where would you be? Besides, how could I have known that I could have so many, that's a question for your father too."

Li shi laughed, "Your mother is a fortunate person, she only suffered with your brother, and when she had you, your Fifth Grandaunt and Sixth Grandaunt also had babies, we never went hungry. I think your cleverness today is related to the various kinds of milk you drank back then."

As they were talking, the eldest girl woke up, her big gem-like eyes looking around, her little mouth moving.

Li shi said, "She's awake, our precious one is awake, the other one will wake up too. These two little ones will want to eat and drink when they wake up, so let the wet nurse prepare."

Among the girls on the same level as Bao Ya, there were four, Jin Qiao's eldest and second sister, Zhao Di's third sister, considering this little one couldn't be called the fourth sister, Li shi simply named her Bao Ya.

As for the little boy, he was given a nickname, Yi Cheng.

In the village, it was customary to give children a humble name for easier upbringing. Also, considering that Sheng Xia was born small and fragile, and he was Zhou Yinuo's first son, they named him Yi Cheng, signifying that no matter what happens, he would be the one who remains.

Zhenshu, who was helping with the embroidery, sighed and left the embroidery frame she was working on.

Fang shi picked up Zhenshu's embroidery frame and admired it. "Look at this embroidery, it's much better than what Jin Qiao'er does. I wonder how they are doing over there now, whether they are adapting well."

Song Dingxiang replied, "Didn't we recently receive a letter saying that everything is going well?"

"Home is better than a thousand good things, oh... oh my, Bao Ya, did you wet yourself?" Fang Shi looked at her granddaughter, who was twisting like a little worm, and quickly reached out to unswaddle her.

As expected, Bao Ya not only wet her diaper until it was soaked, but also giggled.

Zhenshu walked in and said, "The nanny is waiting outside, and Master Wang's convoy has returned, saying that the things you requested have been delivered. They want you to go take a look."

Song Dingxiang played with the children for a while, then took her cloak and left after talking to Fang Shi and Li shi.

Li shi watched the nanny feed the baby and said to Fang Shi, "When I gave birth to the eldest, I thought that as long as I raised one well, it would be enough, but it was too much suffering."

"Your greatgrandfather and greatgrandmother are nice people, but poor, especially with your father always working outside to earn money. I had to take care of the children and do household chores by myself, and I really felt that life was too hard."

"Your greatgrandfather and greatgrandmother are too carefree; once they raised the children and separated the families, they didn't worry about anything else. Whoever lives well or not depends on their own abilities. Unlike me, even after separating the families and taking care of the children, I am still worried about you all suffering."

Fang Shi chuckled, "Mother is the most loving. If it weren't for father and mother being so loving, our family wouldn't be like this."

Li shi said, "That's why in this world, good people get good rewards. If you treat others well, they will treat you well too. Except for a few hypocrites... but they're not considered family, so we don't care about them. Now, as I see it, if I treat you well, and you all support each other, our family will thrive. Even if Zhou Zhi is not the son of the prince, and Dingxiang did not become the county princess, our family wouldn't be doing that badly."

Fang Shi added, "That's right, Dingxiang took out all the money we had for meals to buy this mansion. Looking at it now, she made the right choice."

"Dingxiang is a visionary person, smart, and good at handling things and speaking. The cleverness of our entire family comes from her." Li shi gently rubbed her head, and with a needle continued sewing the little jacket in her hand.

Children's clothes must be soft and comfortable, washed and worn many times before they become so. Even if the fabric is soft, new clothes will still be a bit rough.

If the children's clothes are not completely worn out, they will be carefully preserved for future use.

"Is your fifth aunt still busy?" Li shi asked.

Fang Shi nodded, "She went to the village to look at the Chinese cabbage today, she's more concerned about it than even us."

Except for the couple who run the grocery store in town, the rest of the Fifth Grandaunt's family is mostly here. They are all preparing for the new year's spicy cabbage, and they took the carriage back to the village early this morning to see whose cabbage is good and to make arrangements for harvesting.

Li shi said, "You see, Dingxiang always thinks about helping our family, lending a hand to make money. This child is kind-hearted, more so than anyone in our family."

Fang Shi nodded and suddenly stood up, saying, "I'll go slaughter a chicken, so she can have chicken soup when she comes back. My daughter is always busy, but she's not afraid of tiring herself out."

With that, she hurriedly ran out.

Li shi remained silent for a while, then said after a long pause, "What temper is this for a mother to have?"

*

"County Princess, these are all genuine Donggang seafood, look, we've selected the best and fattest ones." The delivery manager smiled broadly, his face weathered and dark from long stays by the sea, bearing the unique features of a seafaring man.

Song Dingxiang reached out to inspect the seafood, noticing their size and cleanliness, indicating that they were sun-dried with attention to detail and free from sand.

"And this, these are all specialties from the south, Master Wang asked me to pick each one according to your list, all of the finest quality." After speaking, he opened bag after bag, revealing a variety of plants.

The scent of spices filled the air, and Song Dingxiang nodded in satisfaction. She said to Zhenshu, "Calculate the payment for this manager. How much could we get this year?"

The manager replied, "If you want this quality, we might be able to send five or six more carts, but that would be the limit. If it's slightly lower quality, we could send more."

Song Dingxiang said, "Take this quality, and also add about ten carts of slightly lower quality. I'll take them all."

The manager smiled happily, agreeing, "Of course, I will select the best for you, County Princess." With that, he left happily with the payment.

In this region, fresh seafood was scarce due to the distance from the sea, with only dried products like small fish and dried shellfish available. Previously, the Wang family had sent several baskets of seafood, with Song Dingxiang intending to experiment with making seafood soy sauce and oyster sauce.

Unfortunately, before she could start, a drought hit, and the seafood ended up being consumed.

Dried oysters were not as good as fresh ones, but they were better than nothing.

Song Dingxiang was planning to introduce new products to the sauce workshop, including vinegar, seafood soy sauce, oyster sauce, and a popular blend of spices from the future known as thirteen-spice.

Building the flavors of vinegar and soy sauce would take time to mature, while oyster sauce was a simpler process. In the case of the thirteen-spice blend, since there were not many spices available in the northern regions, she had specially asked Master Wang to find dozens of southern spices for her.

"What is this, Madam?" Zhenshu lifted up a large squid from the basket. "Wow, can we eat this too?"

Song Dingxiang chuckled, "Except for the burlap bags, everything in those carts is edible. I'll cook some for you to taste tonight, and I guarantee you'll want more once you've tried it."

Excited, Zhenshu exclaimed, "Madam, are you going to cook again? That's wonderful!"

Whenever Song Dingxiang cooked, there would always be many delicious dishes, and even if not everyone could share, she made sure she tasted them herself.

Currently, the sauce workshop mainly focuses on various sauces and regular soy sauce. Additionally, the restaurant also sells a variety of pickled vegetables in three flavors - sweet, spicy, and sour - which have become the restaurant's best-selling products, highly favored by customers.

As for the sauces, soybean paste made from soybeans is the widely consumed bean paste here, and the improvement made by Song Dingxiang is in enhancing the taste and texture more finely.

There is also another type of bean paste made from broad beans, which is spicy. Initially, when this bean paste was introduced, there were many onlookers, but now it sells very well. In addition to bean paste, another popular sauce is garlic chili sauce, which is fragrant, spicy, and garlicky, making it a favorite among people at mealtime.

Master Wang wanted to distribute the products from the sauce workshop but could only secure half of the output, as the other half was consumed by the county and several nearby villages.

After all, the region had just gone through a severe drought, leading to a shortage of surplus grain. However, this situation would improve in the coming year, and in a couple of years, there would be enough supply to cater to the entire commercial route.

In addition to the wool and sauce workshops, Song Dingxiang had also established a small workshop specifically for making buckwheat noodles and potato flour.

Song Dingxiang had purchased a lot of fallow land, and with the fertile land bestowed upon her by the emperor, most of it was used to grow buckwheat and potatoes. Harvesting a substantial amount of buckwheat and potatoes, the laborers were busy every day, focusing on making buckwheat noodles and potato flour.

The buckwheat noodles were resilient and convenient for transportation, while the potato flour was white, round, and resistant to overcooking, serving as excellent preserved food. Many of these buckwheat noodles and potato flour products were being transported to the northern regions, where they became favored trade items for General Zhong to exchange with the local pastoralists.

Song Dingxiang had even sent two experienced individuals to assist the local farmers in making these products, which reportedly received great acclaim.

Buckwheat and potatoes were inexpensive and common food items used by the poor to alleviate hunger. However, potatoes were challenging to preserve, requiring quick consumption before they sprouted.

By turning them into dried flour noodles, they could be stored for a long time, ready to be cooked quickly with hot water, a spoonful of bean paste, and some greens, resulting in a satisfying meal.

Later, the people in the northern regions referred to these products as their "life-saving rations," though that was a tale for a much later time.

The restaurant in Wei County introduced a range of new dishes, about a dozen in total, causing envy among their competitors.

From nourishing dried oyster congee, spicy shredded squid and squid rings, oyster sauce stir-fried cabbage, to oysters stir-fried with eggs, the menu included bold-flavored stewed lamb, fried meatballs, fried lamb or pork ribs. As a final touch, there was cold buckwheat noodles salad and chicken soup with potato flour.

Due to the infrequent consumption of seafood in the northern regions, people there were not very familiar with cooking seafood dishes, and some even strongly disliked the fishy taste. However, this restaurant served several seafood dishes at once, which not only lacked any fishy taste but also tasted incredibly fresh, quickly becoming the favorite among the city residents.

"Why does our fried meatballs taste so different from theirs?" Wei County had more than one restaurant, and even though this particular restaurant now fell under Zhou Yinuo's ownership, others were indifferent.

After all, diners were more concerned about the quality of the dishes rather than who owned the restaurant.

With skilled chefs on hand, who would fear a lack of customers?

When the restaurant initially reopened, they had changed their menu, and although the flavors were decent, they could mostly be replicated. However, with their current dishes, not only could they not be replicated, but even the additional ingredients added by others couldn't be distinguished.

As Liu, the owner, looked at the two dishes of meatballs in front of him, his expression darkened. He didn't want to poach the chef from that other restaurant, but it turned out that all of their chefs had signed lifelong contracts, effectively becoming Zhou's servants and couldn't be hired away.

Moreover, it was rumored that the recipes for these dishes were all taught by Zhou's kitchen maid. If the chefs couldn't be poached, then how could they even think about hiring the General's kitchen maids?

That would be pushing it.

He simply couldn't understand how meatballs made from pork could taste so vastly different.

"Boss Liu, I've tried these meatballs, and I can taste the onions, ginger, and lotus root inside, but despite following the same recipe, the taste is still significantly different," Chef Bai said, his face filled with worry, as he looked at the meatballs in his hands, his brows furrowed in frustration.

Liu angrily said, "It's one thing if you can't replicate the taste of the meatballs, but can't you recreate that oyster sauce?"

Chef Bai, with a troubled expression, replied, "I bought the dried oysters and tried frying them with various oils, but the taste is indeed different. Their oyster sauce is fresher and not as greasy."

In fact, not only the meatballs and oyster sauce, but even the flavors of lamb chops and pork ribs couldn't be figured out. The meat served in that other restaurant was more aromatic and tasty, with no hint of any fishiness.

A small plate of their dishes and a glass of wine made for a leisurely afternoon, truly enjoyable.

The clay pot dried oyster congee was much cheaper than dried scallops, and not only was it devoid of any fishy smell, but the flavors were also harmoniously combined. Drinking a large bowl of hot congee was incredibly satisfying.

Without saying anything else, Chef Bai was already contemplating switching to work under the county princess. After all, which chef wouldn't want to learn new skills?

*

"What? Dingxiang has come up with new dishes again?" The Princess looked at the two familiar kitchen maids in front of her, utterly surprised. "This child, instead of taking care of her children properly after giving birth, what's all this fuss about?"

The Prince chuckled, "That's talent, something we can't learn. Quickly, go and make it for us to taste. If Dingxiang thinks of sending it here, it must be delicious."

The Princess was speechless.

The next day, when the Eighth Prince was in court, the Emperor specifically asked him after the proceedings, "Eighth Uncle, have the names I chose for those two children been delivered?"

The Eighth Prince laughed and replied, "They've been delivered, but the children are still young and can only be called by their nicknames for now. One is called Bao Ya, and the other one is called Yi Cheng (Leftover), hahaha."

The Emperor: ???

As for Bao Ya, well, that was understandable, but Sheng Xia?

What's that all about?

The Eighth Prince looked at the Emperor's expression and asked, "Is this what you wanted to discuss?"

The Emperor replied sternly, "I heard that the county princess personally sent over some delicious treats for you again?"

The Eighth Prince: ??

Why are you emphasizing the "personally sent over" part so much?

"Yes, my eldest daughter-in-law is truly filial, she brought over a lot of sauces she concocted herself, and the flavors are quite good. Now, she has also sent over two kitchen maids to teach the staff how to make specialty dishes. I found the flavors to be incredibly fresh," the Eighth Prince explained.

The Emperor inquired, "Oh, how fresh?"

After giving it some thought, the Eighth Prince replied, "Even your aunt, who is picky, ended up eating an extra bowl of rice and was pacing in the courtyard at night because she couldn't sleep, hahaha."

The Emperor asked, "Oh, is it that good?"

Finally understanding the situation, the Eighth Prince hurriedly said, "I wanted to taste the flavors first. If they are indeed delicious, I'll inform you, so that the royal chefs can learn to make them for you. If they are just average, then it would be embarrassing to bring them over."

The Emperor continued, "Being the county princess appointed by me, I've also heard that she sent two types of food made from buckwheat and potatoes to the northern regions, which are easy to store and have good flavors. Furthermore, she specifically sent two people to General Zhong to teach the locals how to make these dishes. In this way, the people there won't just be eating boiled potatoes and fried buckwheat noodles all the time, and their lives will be improved."

The Eighth Prince nodded in agreement, "My eldest daughter-in-law mentioned that once they cultivate the barren lands there, they won't produce these two things anymore; instead, they will teach others how to make these well-stored foods in other places. She may not excel in other areas, but she is quite devoted when it comes to food."

The Emperor remarked, "This shows not only her dedication to food but also her concern for the welfare of the common people. After all, she is the county princess appointed by me, and her broad-mindedness makes me feel somewhat inadequate."

Quickly, the Eighth Prince responded, "Your Majesty, you flatter me. I believe my daughter-in-law didn't ponder so much about it. Perhaps she simply thought things should be done this way."

"Indeed, things should be done this way, rather than hoarding things and fearing others will learn from it. By the way, Eighth Uncle, what are your thoughts on the county princess using these two grains in the northern regions to exchange for wool?" the Emperor inquired.

The Eighth Prince was taken aback, thinking to himself, my goodness, my daughter-in-law is quite bold, why has she started doing business with the northern regions?

But he couldn't express it that way. As the saying goes, being with the monarch is like being with a tiger; sometimes, the same meaning conveyed differently results in a completely different outcome.

He replied, "Even though they are different ethnicities, they are still your people, part of your rule. Why do different ethnic groups always engage in wars with the government? Isn't it because their people are not well-fed? When they wage war, it is the common people under your rule who suffer. I believe the county princess's idea is quite simple. Once they are well-fed, can raise sheep comfortably, and offer wool in exchange for food, who would be willing to fight when their bellies are full?

The Emperor remarked, "Someone has submitted a petition accusing the county princess appointed by me, claiming that she and General Zhong are colluding to exploit the common people of the northern regions. Eighth Uncle, what is your opinion on this?"

Cold sweat instantly drenched the back of the Eighth Prince.

He quickly knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, Song Dingxiang is your appointed county princess after all. Don't you know her character? To my knowledge, the county princess purchased a lot of barren land in the guard county, allowing landless individuals to cultivate it. For the first three years, she didn't even collect rent and used her own money to buy the grain produced. The processed grain was immediately sent to the northern regions. Moreover, she personally paid for the gloves and felted wool to be sent there, not taking a single coin! I absolutely refuse to believe that the county princess and General Zhong would engage in such exploitation of the people!"

The Emperor observed the Eighth Prince for a while before smiling and helping him up, saying, "Indeed, I also do not believe it. That's why I have sent someone to go to the northern regions and witness firsthand to uncover the truth. My old general, my county princess, I am naturally at ease. I only hope that whether it is the royal family, officials, or others, they can wholeheartedly serve the people and the government. That would bring solace to my heart."

The Eighth Prince refused to rise, insisting, "Your Majesty, those who accuse the old general and the county princess in this way have sinister intentions! If my daughter-in-law truly loved money, she wouldn't have made the gesture of sending gifts and grain in the first place. I have also heard that there are many widows and orphans in the county princess's workshop. They have no support, no means of sustenance. It was the county princess who allowed them into the workshop, taught them skills, and provided them with money to eat and dress. Such benevolent acts, if it were someone else, it would have been widely publicized, but the county princess did not. Because she sees herself as a citizen of the government, as the county princess of the government, naturally doing things for the people, sharing your burdens!

"Do you remember, Your Majesty, during the great drought in the guard county, the county princess proposed deep plowing and burning the land to prevent locust infestation. This method was sent to the northwest during a similar drought and actually reduced the locust disaster. This is a great deed! Your Majesty, the county princess's younger uncle is still compiling agricultural knowledge and visiting various places. Their whole family still lives in a small courtyard with only four or five rooms, even the wife of the compiler, Song, accompanies him to fields to discuss farming methods with the common people. Your Majesty, the county princess has never asked for anything, otherwise, why would she insist on returning to the Wei County instead of staying in the capital? If she truly wanted money, wouldn't staying in the capital provide more opportunities?"

Impatiently, the Emperor replied, "She insisted on returning to the Wei County because she found the people here too bothersome. Enough, Eighth Uncle, get up quickly. I understand the actions of the county princess better than you. My point is that some are diligently sharing my burdens, while others are causing delays, which annoys me!"

Reluctantly, the Eighth Prince stood up and said, "Even if you are annoyed, you shouldn't scare me, your Eighth Uncle. Isn't my daughter-in-law already enduring enough? Even when she went to the Wei County, there were still people who didn't like her. It's a good thing she's not in the capital, otherwise, who knows who else would envy her."

"Very well, very well. It was my fault for startling you, Eighth Uncle. In that case, I shall personally escort you home and join you and Eighth Aunt for lunch.

With a chuckle, the Emperor patted the dust that didn't exist on Eighth Prince's robe and called out, " Eunuch Wang, come hither and assist me in changing my attire!'"